#1 Farmingdale State - 94, #8 Sarah Lawrence - 73
Farmingdale, N.Y. - The top-seeded Farmingdale State men's basketball team defeated #8 Sarah Lawrence, 94-73, in the quarterfinals of the Skyline Conference Championship this evening. FSC has advanced and will host the semifinals on Thursday night.
The Rams (19-7) held a 13-11 advantage just 4:29 into the game before back-to-back layups by senior forward Dominique Senat (Elmont, N.Y.) and one from freshman guard Jevon Santos (Elmont, N.Y.) put Farmingdale State in front, 19-11.
After a Gryphons (8-16) 3-pointer, a 7-2 run, including four points from sophomore guard Corey Powell (Valley Stream, N.Y.), put FSC on top by 10, 26-16, with 10:56 remaining in the first half.
Farmingdale State led by seven, 36-29, with 5:45 on the clock and used a pair of Senat layups and a Powell free-throw to go up by 12.
After trading layups, the Rams closed the half with two Powell free-throws and a Santos layup to take a 49-33 lead into the break.
Senat led all scorers with 17 points in the first 20 minutes of action.
Following a layup by Senat to open the second half, a 9-2 run by Sarah Lawrence, including 3's from guards David Gelb (Albuquerque, N.M.) and Amos Grey (Ridgefield, Conn.), cut their deficit to 11 at 53-42. Farmingdale State sophomore guard Nick Hurowitz (Mount Sinai, N.Y.) halted the run with a 3-pointer to put the Rams ahead, 56-42, with 16:02 to play.
The Gryphons were still down by 14, 63-49, but used a pair of layups to close within 10.
After a dunk by Rams' sophomore forward Tre Riggins (Baldwin, N.Y.), SLC senior forward Justin Bailey (Phoenixville, Penn.) knocked down a 3 to close within nine, 65-56, with 12:41 left.
FSC responded with a Powell jumper, a 3 from Santos and two free-throws by sophomore guard Zamere McKenzie (Beacon, N.Y.) to regain a 16-point advantage, 72-56.
Still leading by 16, 81-65, with 7:03 on the clock, FSC sophomore guard Aaron Davis (Valley Stream, N.Y.) hit a 3 and Powell converted a jumper to give Farmingdale State an 86-65 edge.
The Rams led by at least 18 down the stretch as they went on for the 94-73 victory.
Senat finished with a season-high 25 points, on 10-for-13 shooting, and pulled down nine rebounds. Powell recorded 15 points, five rebounds, three assists and a career-high three blocks, while Hurowitz tallied a double-double with 12 points and 12 boards. Riggins registered 11 points, four rebounds and two blocks off the bench and Santos notched 11 points, five assists and three steals. Davis added eight points and three assists in the win.
For Sarah Lawrence, Bailey tallied a game-high 26 points and 12 rebounds.
The Rams have advanced to the Skyline Conference Semifinals and will play host to the winner of #5 St. Joseph's-Long Island/#4 Manhattanville on Thursday, February 24th at 7:00 p.m. The Skyline Conference will be charging admission for the remainder of the Championship. The entry fee will be $5 per person and $2 for all students with a valid college ID and children 12 and under.
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